Final Rule Regarding the Single Application

After soliciting comments, the U.S. Copyright Office adopted a final rule governing the eligibility requirements for the Single Application, an online registration option that allows a single author to register a claim in one work that is solely owned by the same author and is not a work made for hire. Among other things, the rule confirms that the Single Application may be used to register one work that is created by and solely owned by one author and is not a work made for hire. It also confirms that the Single Application may be used to register one sound recording and one musical work, literary work, or dramatic work—notwithstanding the fact that a sound recording and the work embodied in that recording are separate works. The rule also clarifies the eligibility requirements for the Office’s Standard Application, which is used to register certain works that are ineligible for the Single Application. In addition, the rule allows for paper applications to be certified with an electronic signature by removing the requirement that certification includes a “handwritten” signature of the certifying party.


In addition, as explained in the notice of proposed rulemaking, the rule eliminates the “short form” version of the Office’s paper applications, and makes technical amendments to the regulations governing preregistration, architectural works, mask works, vessel designs, the unit of publication registration option, and the group registration option for database updates.